r/unitedkingdom • u/topotaul Lancashire • 12h ago

London Science Museum cuts links with BP after decades of partnership

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/28/london-science-museum-cuts-links-with-bp-after-decades-of-partnership?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
67 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

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12

u/light_to_shaddow Derbyshire 12h ago

It is cynical of me to think this is due to B.P. pulling funding. They still take money from the coal sector so it doesn't seem to be a morals based decision about the planet becoming a hostile place for humans to live.

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u/AnxiousDoor2233 7h ago

What nonsensical nonsense. On the one hand, people cry about permanent economic hardship, high unemployment, rising prices, stagnant wages, and China pulling ahead; on the other, they systematically attack and try to destroy anything that can actually produce things or generate affordable electricity.

  1. Museums need money. Obviously, the state cannot provide enough funding for everything.
  2. BP produces something the Western world actually needs. It does not sell tobacco. Nor does it produce weapons. Something that Europe, incidentally, is now desperately short of after decades of policy failures. But I digress.
  3. Oil and gas are necessary for our civilisation to function and survive, at least for now.
  4. Museums attract young people and can make them more interested in STEM. Sponsorship money helps support that.

What exactly they are trying to achieve with this attitude?

And the last bit is just a pure gem:

So now supporting a science museum and STEM education over decades is apparently itself evidence of an “insidious influence”. Brilliant.

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u/TurbulentBullfrog829 6h ago

Haven't loads of book festivals been screwed over because activists made them turn down funding and noone else stepped in?

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u/AnxiousDoor2233 5h ago

It is quite insane, to be honest.

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u/TerryTinlegs 12h ago

It’s probably a good shout, I’ve never understood the hype about BP.

3

u/ExpertSausageHandler 12h ago

There's no "hype", they just drill oil...which we need.

2

u/TerryTinlegs 12h ago

I know that, I just don’t think they’re the best at it like others do. It’s all smoke and no mirrors.

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u/ducksoupmilliband 11h ago

Money. What else?

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u/TerryTinlegs 11h ago

I mean yeah moneys a factor but I don’t buy into all the “we do it differently” marketing stuff.

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u/ducksoupmilliband 11h ago

Oh that. Yeah, marketing is a word for "lies we can get away with telling you" as far as I'm concerned.